The Efficacy and Safety of Nivolumab Plus mFOLFOX6 in Gastric Cancer with Severe Peritoneal Metastasis.

(1) Background: Nivolumab plus chemotherapy is established as a first-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer (AGC). While mFOLFOX6 is commonly used for AGC with severe peritoneal metastasis, the efficacy of nivolumab combined with it remains uncertain. We evaluated the outcomes of nivolumab plus mFOLFOX6 for AGC with severe peritoneal metastasis in clinical practice. (2) Methods: This multicenter retrospective study was conducted between December 2021 and June 2023. We investigated AGC patients with massive ascites or inadequate oral intake due to severe peritoneal metastasis and who received nivolumab plus mFOLFOX6. (3) Results: Among 106 patients treated with nivolumab plus chemotherapy, 21 (19.8%) had severe peritoneal metastasis, with 14 receiving nivolumab plus mFOLFOX6. The median progression-free survival was 7.4 months (95%CI 1.9-10.1), and the median overall survival was 10.7 months (95%CI 5.3-NA), with four patients (28.5%) surviving more than 12 months. Improved ascites and oral intake were observed in 6/14 patients (42.8%) and 10/11 patients (90.9%), respectively. The major grade 3 or more adverse events included leukopenia (28.5%) and neutropenia (21.4%), with no severe immune-related adverse events reported. (4) Conclusions: The safety and moderate efficacy of nivolumab plus mFOLFOX6 were suggested even in AGC patients with severe peritoneal metastasis.

A ruptured sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma treated with combined immunotherapy.

Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (sHCC) is a rare phenotype of HCC with extremely poor prognosis and no established pharmacological treatment. Interventional therapies such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) have been shown to limit the development of sHCC through mechanisms involving hypoxia-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition. This report describes an 83-year-old man who developed sHCC 2 years after RFA treatment for HCC and experienced sHCC rupture. Following TAE-induced hematostasis, he was administered lenvatinib for tumor control. Although his physical status had improved, due to loss of fever and attenuation of arterial enhancement in the tumor, for 1 month after lenvatinib administration, tumor re-growth was observed 2 months after lenvatinib treatment. His general condition was preserved, and he was treated with 10 courses of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez+Bev), resulting in tumor shrinkage that was maintained for 3-8 months after Atez+Bev. Findings in this patient showed that combined immunotherapy was effective for sHCC. Further investigation in additional patients is required to maximize prognosis in patients with sHCC.